LONDON, England, July 26, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) – Press freedoms in the U.K. could be stripped back by amendments set to be made to the Official Secrets Act that would render it illegal for journalists to publish leaked information regarding the government that is deemed to “not be in the public interest.”
The current Official Secrets Act, last updated in 1989, makes provisions for whistle-blowers who leak sensitive information that they consider to be in the public interest, distinguishing their actions from espionage. Now, a government consultation from the Home Office has suggested a reform to the legislation that will do away with the distinction, essentially treating such journalists and their sources as spies. The Home Office has also proposed a dramatic increase in prison time for breaking the law, going from two years to a possible fourteen years behind bars.
According to the Home Office, headed by Priti Patel, “the scale and potential impact of espionage and unauthorised disclosures has changed significantly since the Official Secrets Acts 1911-89 first became law.” As a result, the government argued that developments in communication and technology pose a “discernible and very real threat” to national security.
The Law Commission, an independent body in
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